Medal of Honor: James E. Williams – Vietnam War, October 31, 1966

James Elliott Williams
Boatswain’s Mate First Class (BM1), U.S. Navy
Conflict: Vietnam War
Unit: River Section 531, Task Force 116 (River Patrol Force)
Date of Action: October 31, 1966
Location: Mekong Delta, Republic of Vietnam

Summary of Action:
The rivers of Vietnam were as dangerous as any battlefield, and on October 31, 1966, BM1 James E. Williams faced an inferno on the water and answered with fire of his own.

That day, while leading a two-boat patrol deep in the Mekong Delta, Williams and his crew were suddenly ambushed by two enemy sampans. Reacting with swift precision, he ordered return fire—destroying one enemy boat and chasing the other into a nearby inlet. But what began as a routine patrol quickly escalated into one of the most intense riverine battles of the war.

As PBR 105 gave chase, it plunged straight into a withering ambush. Enemy forces hidden along the shoreline opened up with automatic weapons, rockets, and small arms. From his exposed position, Williams directed fire, returning volley after volley while maneuvering his boats through the kill zone.

Then came the real shock—emerging from the inlet, Williams encountered a large enemy force: two junks and more than eight sampans backed by shore-based gunners. Outnumbered and outgunned, he held his position, coordinating an aggressive defense while awaiting air support.

But when Williams discovered even more enemy craft massing nearby, he made a bold decision. He didn’t wait.

He attacked.

With fearless aggression, he led his patrol through three hours of relentless combat, darting into hostile fire time and again. He destroyed or disabled over 50 enemy boats. When the helicopters finally arrived, Williams didn’t rest—he took command of their firepower, directing strikes to decimate the remaining enemy positions.

Even as night fell and ammunition ran low, Williams ordered the patrol boats’ searchlights turned on—making his craft a beacon in the dark, and a target—so they could press the attack.

By the time the shooting stopped, over 65 enemy vessels had been destroyed or captured, and countless enemy troops were killed. Williams’s audacity, leadership, and refusal to break turned what could have been a massacre into one of the Navy’s greatest small-unit victories of the war.

Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 31 October 1966 while serving as patrol commander aboard a river patrol boat on patrol on the Mekong River in the Republic of Vietnam.

When his patrol was suddenly taken under fire by two enemy sampans, BM1 Williams ordered return fire, which resulted in the sinking of one craft while the other fled into a nearby canal. Giving chase, he encountered a heavy volume of enemy small-arms fire from both banks and from a numerically superior force of enemy boats. Maneuvering through this fire-swept area, BM1 Williams led a successful assault against the enemy, sinking several of their boats and disrupting their attack.

Learning from aerial observation that he had intercepted a major enemy supply and troop movement, BM1 Williams called for air support and continued his relentless pursuit through a veritable hail of hostile fire. With his boat severely damaged and low on ammunition, he courageously pressed the attack and continued to direct operations until the enemy force was destroyed, accounting for the destruction or capture of 65 enemy vessels and numerous casualties.

His extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and fearless leadership under fire reflect the highest credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Naval Service.